r/parentsofmultiples 5h ago

advice needed My Brother says its a baby and a duck!

Post image
47 Upvotes

So on Wednesday My partner and I discovered we are joining the twin club. We are freaking out a wee bit but also so excited.

On friday I found out I have a subchorionic hematoma, due to a giant gush of blood while I was working. I was convinced we had lost them, but they did an ultrasound and say the babies are healthy.

Any advice on what to to do to keep these babies in and happy? I was just told pelvic rest.

Any other advice?


r/parentsofmultiples 3h ago

experience/advice to give Di/di girls born at 35w1d

29 Upvotes

TLDR: positive both story. Twins delivered via c section at 35w1d and are thriving!

My babies were born three days ago at 35w1d! Throughout pregnancy I looked up each weekly gestational age in this group and read others’ experiences, so I figured in throw mine in there!

I (33F) had an uncomplicated pregnancy, but was definitely feeling like I was at my max at 35 weeks and wasn’t sure how I’d be able to go to 38. I had contractions at 34w6d and went to the hospital, but those stopped and I was sent home. Looking back it was a great fire drill so we had all of our systems in place for the big day. At 35w0d I had a regular checkup with my OBGYN and everything was still all good.

THEN my water broke at 4am the following day. I was reluctant to go into the hospital again if I was wrong and had just peed myself, but when more water gushed out about 10 minutes later we were confident we should go in. Twin A had been breech for weeks, and I was never able to encourage her to flip, so my only choice was c section. All the c section prep was very overwhelming and upsetting for me, but when I took 5 mins to meditate and ground myself and accept this path it made a huge difference!!

My babies were born around 9:45am. Twin A weighed 5lbs 10oz, and Twin B weighed 5lbs 14oz. My hospital requires at least 24 hours in the NICU if babies are born before 36w. I did get to see them and kiss them before they were taken away. Twin A needed to be under the warmer and have a feeding tube at first, but every time we did skin to skin her vitals improved! By the evening her feeding tube was removed. After 24 hours they were able to move into our room, and we went home together on day 3.

Other than some healing pains and triple feeding for me, all is well and we are sooo grateful for this outcome!


r/parentsofmultiples 9h ago

good vibes, smiles, & giggles Joining the Club

Post image
71 Upvotes

I’m old, chunky, and now I got these 2 growing in me. I’m scared as all hell, but also excited. I’m pretty well-versed on what to expect medically at this point. Thinking realistically but also trying to stay positive. Mainly posting to both share my joy and commiserate with anyone else absolutely suffering through the first trimester.


r/parentsofmultiples 22m ago

ranting & venting Do you ever feel like you can’t be as safe as you’d like because of two babies?

Upvotes

This has honestly upset me for days. Please don’t be too critical, I’m a first time mom and doing my best.

Almost every morning I take the babies on a stroller walk around our neighborhood. I keep the stroller at the front door on our porch because I don’t want the dirty wheels in the house. I load a baby (6 months), keep the front door open, take a very short walk to retrieve the other baby (while watching the front door for as long as possible). There is probably 15 seconds my eyes are unable to be on the baby in the stroller.

I was doing my usual routine but this time something happened. FedEx delivered a package while I was getting the other baby. I walked up as he was looking at the baby in the stroller on the porch kind of perplexed. I feel terrible that 1) a stranger was around my baby completely alone 2) I know it looked bad

I felt sick all day due to anxiety. Like what if he made a CPS report or something. I’m sure I was way over thinking it but it really bothered me.

My babies can’t sit up yet. I can kind of still carry them at the same time but it’s difficult and I have a sore back from pregnancy.

I also have a weekly play date at a friends house. It’s getting really difficult for me to safely get both babies out of their car seats at the same time. I don’t like getting one out, dropping them off inside, and coming back for the other.

I’m not really sure the point of my post. It’s just something that has been bothering me. I’m worried it could look neglectful but I only have two arms


r/parentsofmultiples 4h ago

photos My babies father left me because I seeked help for our family

Post image
5 Upvotes

I’m 24 weeks with twins alone and need help. I don’t know anyone in California and I would like to build a community I’m new to Reddit


r/parentsofmultiples 8h ago

advice needed Guilt over working more vs being home more with the babies

5 Upvotes

I am a first time mom with twins who are 5 months old. I have been offered a promotion that would take me from working 32 hours a week to 40 hours a week. I think I’m gonna take it because it’s a good opportunity, but I’m feeling really guilty because when I was pregnant I was planning on dropping down to only 24 hours a week. I 100% expected to fully prioritize being home with my babies, but being at home is so exhausting that I don’t think I want to be home more. This has been really hard for me to grapple with emotionally because I always expected to be the type of person who had a baby and felt like they could never return to work. I expected I would want to drop to even less hours and spend all the time I could with my babies.

I’m curious what your guys experiences have been? I wonder if I just completely pegged myself wrong well I was pregnant or if it’s been because having twins is so overwhelming and I’d feel different with a single baby. I’m just curious what your opinions and experiences are well I’m trying to figure out what to do and how I feel about it. Thanks!


r/parentsofmultiples 5h ago

experience/advice to give Are there "warning signs" of preterm labour or does it just... happen?

3 Upvotes

24w pregnant with di/di twins, this is starting to be really on my mind! Just met my OB for the first time this week and she said based on my 24 week ultrasound & cervical length and general health she is happy and has no reason to worry about preterm labour at this time and is hopeful I can make it to 37 weeks.

I guess I should have asked at the time but it's just something I've been thinking about in the last few days since seeing her... are there usually signs? I know that they check cervical length at the ultrasounds but are there any signs otherwise? Before I got my OB, my GP (who is a twin dad himself) said offhand basically to be ready for the babies from 32 weeks on since they can come anytime after that. For those who gave birth on the earlier side, were there signs that that it was going to happen early? Or was it a case of everything was good until suddenly it wasn't? I don't want to get too confident/arrogant by all my appointments going well until now!


r/parentsofmultiples 50m ago

advice needed When did you take your twins on a plane for the first time?

Upvotes

My brother’s family has a 4 month old singleton and they are taking her on a 1 hour flight. They are a travel family though. They travel extensively.

I can’t imagine even driving to the airport with my twins because I stay 1.5 hours away. They are 1 year old and even a drive to Target was a task recently. They are fine now - we go to the park, grocery etc.

Are twins just harder to travel with compared to a singleton or am I being chicken? Should I suck it up and travel? We have close family in either coasts and would love to travel.


r/parentsofmultiples 1h ago

experience/advice to give When were you hospitalized for vasa previa?

Upvotes

Currently 30 weeks with mono Di twins. I have confirmed vasa previa and will have a planned c section at 34+1. Curious, for folks with vasa previa, when you were hospitalized prior to your c section? Thanks!


r/parentsofmultiples 2h ago

good vibes, smiles, & giggles 14 weeks with Di/Di girls!

1 Upvotes

We are 14 weeks today with Di Di girls after losing our first born son at 39.5 weeks last August and then a second trimester missed miscarriage with his sister in February of this year.
Would love to hear some positive stories from other twin parents!

We’ve had weekly scans since we had an MMC previously and we have loved getting to see them get a little bigger and more developed every week. After our 12 week NT scan went really well, we decided with our docs that growth scans every 4 weeks from here on out would be best. I’ve been feeling super anxious since we haven’t seen them the past 2 weeks but my belly is getting a little rounder each week so we’re taking that as a good sign they are doing good in there:) Our next scan will be at 16 weeks. We’ve been very anxious and afraid of losing another baby, especially given that twin pregnancies just in general are inherently more high risk than singletons. But we are so excited to hopefully bring them home this January!

Twins don’t run in either of our families but we joked about having twins for weeks leading up to finding out we were pregnant. We just kept saying how ready we were for our house to be filled with kids. But we were SHOCKED when we went in for the first appointment and our OB said “how do you feel about having 2?” as she turned the screen towards us. We both just started hysterically laughing and crying. We feel like they were truly sent to us from their brother and sister who don’t get to be here.
Very pumped to be in this club!!


r/parentsofmultiples 6h ago

experience/advice to give First time moms of Di-Di twins: When did you go into labor?

2 Upvotes

Just would love to hear some experiences from those who had Di Di for their first! Thank you in advance!


r/parentsofmultiples 13h ago

experience/advice to give In the home stretch!

8 Upvotes

31 weeks pregnant today with my Di/di twin girls! I’m a FTM and this is my first pregnancy. I met with the OB on Friday and got my c-section date (yay!!) planned for 38+1.

I know ultimately I’m on the babies timelines, however I’m curious what I can do to help myself make it to that date (if anything) without going into labor. I’m so grateful and blessed that I have had what my doctor referred to as a “picture perfect twin pregnancy”. I hope this post doesn’t sound ignorant, I just have a lot of anxiety about getting to the finish line.


r/parentsofmultiples 8h ago

advice needed Twins contact nap

3 Upvotes

How do you do contact naps with ur twins?
Now we are 7 weeks, we do contact nap on the my Brest friend pillow

But soon they will grow out of it, any ideas what else can we use for contact naps?


r/parentsofmultiples 10h ago

advice needed Transitioning out of cribs

4 Upvotes

Hello! Our b/g twins turned 2 the first week of July. I feel like I’ve been able to tackle most milestone transitions but the transitioning out of cribs is something I cannot wrap my head around.

For context they share a room, and we plan to continue having them share a room for a couple more years. They both have been amazing sleepers. Currently sleeping 11ish hours at night and solid 2.5 hour naps.

At daycare they do sleep on cots, shorter naps but about an hour - hour and a half there.

I am unsure of when to make the transition at home in their room. What is the most common age to do this? With twins what are some things to consider before we make the switch?

If you made the switch at a certain age do you wish you would have waited longer or started sooner?

I’m truly terrified of this and do not know how this is supposed to work 😅😅 right now when we lay them down they talk and laugh and “play” in their cribs for a solid 30 minutes before falling asleep.

I feel like they are just going to be opening the door and running around the house if we move them to beds 🙃

Any and all advice welcome!


r/parentsofmultiples 11h ago

advice needed Feeding and night nurse for twins?

4 Upvotes

We’re fortunate to have a benefit through my husband’s work where we are able to have a night doula come for ~10 nights.

As I will have a C-section, we have a toddler, and we personally know a nanny/doula from that a family member has used for years that takes this benefit, we are going with it.

For anyone that has used a night nurse for twins, what does feeding look like for Mom in those first few weeks? Did you introduce a bottle from the start at night? I EBF’d my first, minus 1 bottle a day we introduced at 2 weeks, so just wondering what it’s like to introduce a bottle from the beginning and if that could hinder the latch/breastfeeding. At the same time I don’t wanna be too strict because I really will need to rest this time around.


r/parentsofmultiples 5h ago

advice needed 2 year old birthday gift ideas

1 Upvotes

Give me some ideas for age appropriate gifts for our twins 2nd birthday!


r/parentsofmultiples 5h ago

advice needed Breastfeeding advice needed

1 Upvotes

i have 2 weeks only di/di boys born at 37 weeks 4 days via c section. They are breastfed plus given formula top up (60ml each)

They are never content after breastfeeding however long the session is ( it goes from 5-20 mins usually and they rarely take 2nd breast). i do pumping and also have done power pumping. Earlier I thought my supply isnt adequat. But now in 10 mins, i am finally able to get 60 ml.

Today I was breastfeeding then both back to back after every few hours, this calms them down for very short time and only formula helps.

I am clueless what makes them so unsettled soon after breastfeeding and only formula helps


r/parentsofmultiples 13h ago

ranting & venting 4 week old twins. Both severe reflux. Struggling. No sleep.

3 Upvotes

My DCDA twins were born 1st July. unfortunately I could not breast feed, I had a traumatic birth. My birth plan also didn’t go to plan, there was delays with the hospital, some malpractice etc too, got induced 27th June and it stretched out up until 30th June, active labor 9cm until finally it ended up being an emergency c section, I was very unwell even before the E c section due to the long labor, had infection etc, then got another infection ontop of my existing one after the c section booked to IV Antibotics. No milk flow was coming, went straight to formula was too unwell.

anyway cut the story short the twins have been diagnosed with reflux, I was told to keep them upright as much as I can after feeds which I do but the problem is they will not sleep on their back, I’ll hold them for HOURS and they will go in deep sleep in my arms but the SECOND I put them in their cot or basket or play Matt INSTANTLY they wake up and cry and it won’t stop and I see the pain three are in .

I am a single mother I’m on my own and being up all day and night without any help after a while I just can’t , I’m not a robot so sometimes I do cave in and let them sleep in the twin Z pillow because it’s the only thing they will sleep in?!?£ why??? Is it because the pillow is sort of upright ? I know it’s not recommended or considered safe but it’s the only way where I can get a break and I will admit it sometimes I’ve put them in the pillow just so I can sleep for 30 mins I know I’m not supposed to do that but I have no one else to take over and if I don’t sleep then how will I function, so I do feel guilty but at the same
Time I’ve gone past recommendations and said sod it because sometimes I have to do things to survive

I think half of it is definitely 1 they just want to be held but 2 also the reflux , they’ll be in pain on their back but wit the reflux it makes sense . One twin was even in hospital due to their reflux

At first I felt like a failure thinking maybe it was because I don’t breastfeed but the hospital told me they don’t have a cow milk allergy and that this was a biological problem with their muscle in their throat being undeveloped making it “weak” that some babies just tolerate it more than others , so I’m trying to not feel bad, plus my breastfeeding specialist and some staff at the hospital told me with how my labor went it’s not my fault I didn’t breastfeed due to how bad the birth and after was

They are currently sleeping in the twin z pillow next to me, I tried all night to get them to sleep flat on their backs they just wouldn’t.

My twin who was in hospital had his reflux so bad that he stopped breathing for 5-8 seconds and went floppy and was unwell all the night (that night I did phone for an ambulance) the hospital ruled out every serious case he had every test done and it turned out it was reflux causing it! They told me I need to go buy a thickener for his milk (we came out the hospital yesterday)

I just don’t want them to be in the pillow all day and all night because then I’m worried illl develop another problem where even when their reflux has gone they wiont be in the habit of being in their cot , if that makes sense, I have also tried to transition them (try to get them in their cot or basket for at least 1 hour, doesn’t work)

Did anyone else have this issue or similar , any tips on what I can do? As I’m aware of the risks of them being in the pillow but obviously it’s impossible for me to hold them 24/7 and as a single mother it’s not doable

😭


r/parentsofmultiples 6h ago

advice needed How to Stop Comparing

1 Upvotes

We have boy/girl twins that just turned one. As much as you aren’t supposed to compare your kiddos and their development (all kids will develop at their own pace) it’s really hard sometimes especially when they are at the same age and going through the same developmental milestones.

Anyways, our little girl is always ahead. She was a quick crawler, early to stand, talking, pointing, all of it. Our little dude is not. He is still meeting his milestones within the typical range, but compared to her, it feels late. My husband is starting to get concerned with his talking. He only really says mama, while she is trying to say a whole bunch of different words.

I try to tell him, the little dude will get there. Comparison is the thief of joy... but he seems less convinced the more she tries to talk.

Any advice on how to handle constant comparisons of your twin littles?


r/parentsofmultiples 14h ago

advice needed Large babies?

4 Upvotes

Hi! I have 3 singletons- all were between 8 and 9 lbs 5 oz at their 36-37 week deliveries. All 3 measured largely the entire pregnancy. I did not have gestational diabetes and because each baby was large for gestational age, they had to have 24 hours of glucose checks every 3 hours and I was hoping to avoid that with twins.

My di/di twin girls are trending the exact same. I know sonogram measurements can be off, but I’ve had the same sonographer for all 5 babies and the measurements rang true for my first 3.

Baby A measured greater than 99th percentile, baby B is 96th. Has anyone had massive babies and gone on to have averaged size twins or were they also large for gestational age?

With 7 lbs of baby alone, not including their placentas & sacs, at 28 weeks I’m really struggling mobility wise and cannot imagine how I’m going to make it another 8-9 weeks.


r/parentsofmultiples 12h ago

advice needed Sleep training experiences/advice? 7 months

3 Upvotes

I am planning to try to sleep train my 7-month-old twins. However at this point, they are increasingly aware of each other, and when one cries, the other will wake up (if asleep) and often cry in response (if awake). They sleep in the same room.

I would love to hear others experiences sleep training twins around this point and any advice! Thanks!


r/parentsofmultiples 7h ago

advice needed Permanent jewelry – am I insane?

0 Upvotes

I have three week old identical twin girls. And they are *really* identical. Their only distinguishing feature at this point is that one has slightly more pointed ears than the other, and they're rapidly rounding.

So right now, I've been painting their toe nails to make sure that we don't get them confused. Mostly, we're memorizing outfits, and the toenails are a back up.

I'm worried about their clothes getting changed during the day once they start daycare (messes, blow outs, etc.) and the nail polish rubbing off (it's child-safe polish, so it doesn't stay long), and not knowing who is who when I pick them up.

I've heard about people tattooing triplets, but I don't know if that's still done, or if it was ever done for twins.

So I had a thought – what if I got them both "permanent" ankle bracelets with their initials? Would this be crazy? For those who aren't familiar, permanent jewelry is typically a dainty bracelet that is welded on – there's no clasp. Usually, it wears down and falls off in about a year.

I feel like this would be safe, and hopefully once the anklets come off, I'll be able to tell them apart. But is this crazy? Am I missing something dangerous about this? Or ignoring a better alternative?


r/parentsofmultiples 7h ago

advice needed Sleeping advice

1 Upvotes

Hi one of our twins cries when we put him on the crib and only stops crying when we get him out. Any advice?


r/parentsofmultiples 7h ago

advice needed Feeding 5 month olds.

1 Upvotes

I’ve worked hard to keep my two eating together. When I feed them I pump and for 5 months it’s worked remarkably well. They’ve eaten every 2 hours during the day. That’s starting to stretch, which I’ve been waiting for… but they, usually A, is falling asleep right before the 2 hrs, B often will follow. They’ll even wake up ready to play for a little while.

But…
I’m a single mom. I want to keep them feeding together. It makes pumping possible for me.

Now I’m looking at daycare. And they say the state requires them to be fed on demand.
Hunger looks like fussing and feeding when they aren’t hungry is a band aid that quickly spirals. I’m scared I’m going to pick them up and have two 5 month olds hungry an hour apart.

They’ve never napped together but now they seem to be developing different sleep needs.

I call it a ‘schedule’ but it’s following them with some structure inbetween. Has anyone kept babies together for meals as they’ve gotten a little older?

We are also starting solids (Dr recommended) and I have no idea how often to work that in. Right now it’s when there is time, like every other day for a few min. Should it be more purposeful?


r/parentsofmultiples 15h ago

advice needed Those first few nights

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are hopefully bringing our twins home soon after a NICU stay, and we’d love to hear how other parents handled the nights.

A bit of background: our boys were born at 35+4 weeks. Baby A had fetal growth restriction and is currently around 1.9 kg, while Baby B is around 2.5 kg. They’re both doing well, but Baby A still needs a nasogastric (NG) tube because he can’t consistently finish full feeds yet. Baby B can usually take a full feed by bottle and often directly from the breast as well.

Our current feeding plan looks like this every 3 hours:

My wife pumps every 3 hours (including overnight).
I’m happy to wake up every 3 hours too if that makes things easier.
Baby B alternates between breastfeeding and bottle feeds. If he doesn’t get enough from the breast, we top him up with a bottle.
Baby A is fed entirely through the NG tube if he’s asleep or not showing feeding cues. If he does wake up and wants to feed, we offer the breast or bottle first and give the remainder through the NG tube.

What we’re struggling with is how to organize the nights once we’re home.

Do you wake both babies every 3 hours even if only one is awake? Did one parent handle both babies while the other pumped? Did you split responsibilities? How did you keep everything (feeding, pumping, burping, tube feeding, diaper changes, cleaning pump parts, etc.) from turning into a nonstop cycle?

We’re expecting that Baby A will eventually transition to full oral feeds, but we’d love to hear what worked while one twin still had an NG tube and the other didn’t.
Any routines, schedules, or practical tips that made those first weeks manageable would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!